That’s how the coin ended up after I flipped it to see where I was headed. Heads would have been east, tails meant I was headed south. The Road King was packed and gassed up, freshly serviced (Thanks to Urban Custom Bikes), and I was eager to get the hell out of town. Those that know me know that this year has been a tough one, personally and emotionally, and I needed to go off by myself and clear my head…and I had 5 days to do it. Unlike other road trips, I had no plans for this one…only a full tank of gas and a coin.

The skies were grey and damp as I headed out on a Thursday morning, hit I-5 and headed south. At the last minute I jumped onto SR16 and crossed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. I figured that I would ride down along the Hood Canal rather than the freeway, but as I rode further toward Gig Harbor and Purdy, the damp was turning more into wet….thanks to a drizzly fog that hung low over the roadway. I left highway 16 at Purdy and rolled south over the Purdy Spit onto the Key Peninsula, and about 4 miles in the rain started. Not hard, more drizzle really, but rain nonetheless. And it rained all the way down to Olympia. I had stopped just outside of Shelton and put my rain jacket on (as all I was wearing to that point was my denim jacket under my cut), and once I hit Olympia I decided to jump back out to I-5 and get out of the rain.I had two choices: run I-5 to the junction with Highway 12 and roll east over White Pass into Yakima (where I KNEW it would not be raining); or run I-5 all the way to Vancouver and run Highway 14 along the north side of the Columbia River. The rain finally let up as I passed through Chehalis, and I opted for Highway 14. After a quick stop at a rest area near Kelso, I shed the rain jacket and let my denim jacket air dry as I cruised down I-5 into Vancouver. By the time I was eastbound on Highway 14, the sun was breaking through the clouds and it was warming up nicely. Just past Washougal I pulled into a roadside turnout and lightened the load, taking off the chaps, jacket and my long sleeve shirt. Since it was a weekday and still reasonably early, there was little traffic to contend with and the ride along the Columbia was beautiful…and the further east I went, the warmer it got!There are 3 places between Vancouver and The Dalles to cross the river into Oregon: The Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks; the Hood River Bridge between White Salmon (Washington) and Hood River (Oregon); and the Dalles Bridge crossing the river into (where else?) The Dalles. Since I was headed south, I decided to cross one of those and find which road to take to continue my trek.

The Bridge of the Gods is a toll bridge with a grated bridge deck built in 1926. At that time it was 1127 feet long, but after construction of Bonneville Dam (about 4 miles upriver) the bridge had to be raised and the length extended to 1856 feet. The modern day bridge is named after a natural dam created by the Bonneville Slide in 1150 (yes, 1150!) which was eventually breached and washed away by the mighty Columbia. The toll for motorcycles on the bridge is a whopping 50 cents. The next bridge upriver is the Hood River Bridge, which is also a toll bridge. Owned and operated by the Port of Hood River, this drawbridge spans the river between White Salmon and Hood River and was built in 1924. Motorcycles can cross for 75 cents. Be forewarned though, the lanes on this bridge are narrow, and the bridge typically sits only about 70 feet above the river. I decided to continue on highway 14 to the Dalles bridge, partly because the ride along this road is so nice…lots of sweeps and curves, a few hard turns, a number of tunnels to go through, and amazing views of the Columbia River the entire way. The Dalles Bridge is also part of US Highway 197, and was originally a toll bridge from its opening in late 1953 until the winter of 1974, when the construction bond was paid off.

I crossed the 3300 foot span into Oregon and stopped for a drink. Looking at the map, I made the command decision to continue south on 197 and visit some friends just outside of Bend (plus a free place to stay!). The temperature was pushing into the low 90s by the time (perfect!) I left The Dalles and headed into the high desert of central Oregon.

EASTBOUND ON HIGHWAY 16 JUST PAST THE TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE

HIGHWAY 14 ALONG THE COLUMBIA RIVER

ONE OF MANY TUNNELS ALONG HIGHWAY 14

THROUGH THE TUNNEL!

BRIDGE OF THE GODS

THE ROAD LEADING DOWN AND INTO MAUPIN, OREGON

US 197 climbs away from the Columbia River Gorge and heads south past small towns like Dufur and Tygh Valley before dropping into the town of Maupin along the Deschutes River. As the road leads into Maupin, the curves are tight and switchbacks are plenty! Once through the bustling burg that is Maupin (population 419), the two lane road climbs back up away from the river and into desert and ranch land before ending at the junction with US Highway 97 about 20 miles later. Further south come the towns of Madras and Redmond before heading into Bend. I stopped in Redmond for gas and called my friend Gary, who was more than happy to put me up for the night. I have known Gary and his family since before they WERE a family (way more years than either of us care to count!) and they are some of my best and closest friends on this planet...or any other planet for that matter.

Since they were giving me a place to stay, I offered to take Gary, Kelly, and their daughter Lillian out for dinner. We ended up at a place called Wubba’s BBQ Shack in Bend…what a great place: Killer food, cold beer, and reasonable prices.

The next morning was warm and sunny as I left Gary’s about 7:30, gassed up and after consulting my trusty Oregon Road Map, decided to head out of Bend on Highway 20, which cuts east toward the town of Burns, about 130 miles away. Also known as the Central Oregon Highway, the mostly two-lane road slices almost as straight as an arrow through the sagebrush-laden desert. If US 50 through Nevada is the loneliest road in America, then Highway 20 has got to be one of the Top 5 loneliest roads. There were times that I rode for 30 miles and never saw another vehicle…in other words, damn near a perfect road! About 45 miles out of Bend, I noticed a small dust devil along the left side of the road…figured it was probably some ranch hand on an ATV or something. But, as I got closer, I didn’t hear anything, and when I got to the dust devil, I saw it was a huge bull walking just inside the fence line near the shoulder. Just trudging along, kicking up some dust and not paying any attention to the roaring Harley zipping by! The funny thing was I had not seen a car, building, animal or anything other than sagebrush for about 15 miles before spotting this lonely creature. Even weirder, it was another 20 miles before I saw any other signs of life at all! That dude must have been on one hell of a walk…

SAGEBRUSH...LOTS OF THIS OVER THE NEXT 300 MILES.

VIEW TOWARDS BEND FROM HIGHWAY 20

I eased my way into Burns and found a gas station to give my poor Road King a drink, and dug out the map again. Two roads heading south caught my eye: US 395 about 25 miles back the way I had come, or Oregon Highway 205 (not to be confused with Interstate 205), which looked to head straight south out of Burns, past Malheur Lake. In addition, signs along the road indicated it was one of Oregon’s Scenic Byways. Sure enough, the road sliced south through the desert, past the 50,000 acre Malheur Lake, and through the small village of Frenchglen. I stopped for some water at the general store, stretched my legs, and looked for a gas station…not that I was low, but I figured I could top off if they had one. They didn’t.

I motored on down, pretty much all alone on the road, and soon was rolling through ranch land and past small lakes and reservoirs. Signs were posted all along the highway as I made my way through the Catlow Valley indicating “Open Range” land, and as I rounded a curve near Sixmile Lake, I saw why…a herd of cattle was walking in the middle of the road! Damn, just my luck…60 miles from the nearest town and I find the traffic jam! Oh, well, a few revs of the engine and the Vance & Hines exhaust got their attention, and they moved off the road back into the fields. After about 3 hours I came to a sign that said “Welcome to Nevada”…turns out I was in Denio (pronounced “Deny-O”…no, not denial), a mostly dead town on the state line. Since I was getting low on fuel, I looked for a gas station.

They didn’t have one.

In fact, the only business I saw that looked to be still IN business was the US Post Office, so I went in and asked about the availability of fuel. The lady behind the counter said the nearest fuel was 28 miles north in Fields…the direction I had just come! Not really having any choice, I pointed my scoot north and headed back to Fields Station. As I pulled into the gravel lot, I noticed the store, a little 3 or 4 unit “motel”, and 2 kinds of gas: diesel and regular, both dispensed from pumps that look like they have been there since the 1970s. I gave my thirsty scoot a well-deserved drink, and went inside the store to pay. What a surprise to find not only a littlegrocery/convenience store, but also a little bar with microbrews on tap, and a kitchen that does up burgers, fries and milkshakes!

In fact, I was so surprised to see the taps behind the counter; I said “Holy shit, you have beer!” One of the two locals at the counter said, “And it’s God-damned good beer too!” to which I said “but is it damned COLD beer?”The other guy held up a half-full frosty glass and said “damned right it is.” Well, then, I’ll just have one of those fine frosty beers! I sat at one of the 4 stools at the counter and chatted with the locals and the “bartender”, and listened to them talk about all the local stuff: farming, so-and-so’s car accident, the weather, the forest fires, etc. At one point they asked where I was headed. I truthfully told them I didn’t really know. I knew I was headed for Denio, but after that, I had no idea until I looked at a map.

FRENCHGLEN, OREGON

FIELDS STATION, OREGON

OREGON TRAFFIC JAM

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

I hit the road after about a half-hour or so and headed south once again toward Denio. About 3 miles past the state line, I came to the junction of Highway 140 and decided to head west, as staying on 140 would have eventually led me to Winnemucca, Nevada. At the junction of Highways 205 and 140, there is the Denio Junction Motel and Airstrip (no shit), complete with a café and (supposedly) gas. The clerk at the Post Office earlier had said they no longer had gas, so I was glad I made the 50+ mile roundtrip back to Fields.

SOUTHBOUND ON OREGON HIGHWAY 205

More desert, sagebrush, and nothing for miles around…again an almost perfect road. On a side note, since I had not seen a cop since leaving Bend about 300 miles earlier, once I left Fields I just didn’t put my helmet back on…and yes, Oregon and Nevada both have helmet laws (Nevada does have a helmet law for two-wheeled cycles, but not trikes). Hell, not only did I not see a cop, I didn’t see another car between Fields and about 25 miles into Nevada! Coming up toward 100 Creek Summit (5000 feet elevation) I noticed a pickup truck coming toward me, followed a few miles later by an SUV…driven by a Nevada State Trooper! Oh, well…if I got pulled over, I just figured I would feign ignorance on the whole helmet law/bike/trike thing and see if I could get out of it. No need. He kept going, as did I, and I really don’t think he even looked twice at me! After cresting 100 Creek Summit, I headed down a bit before climbing once again and going over Sage Hen Hills Summit at 6349 feet. From this summit, less than a quarter-mile later I crossed into Oregon. At this point the road begins to drop into the Guano Valley toward the towns of Adel and Lakeview, and the views are spectacular! About 10 miles from the state line, I noticed a sign off to the left in a turnout that said “Doherty Hang Glider Launch”. This is a site provided by the BLM and Oregon DOT as a courtesy to the hang gliders in the area, as the area is known nationally as the Hang Gliding Capitol of the West. The launch sits at about 6100 feet, with the valley floor almost 1000 feet below. Unfortunately, since I was rolling through on a Friday afternoon, there were no gliders flying that day. Damn.

I made a quick stop in Adel for gas and a drink, and then cruised the 90 miles or so into Klamath Falls to stay for the night. I rolled through town looking for the essentials: restaurants, bars, motels, gas. I found a Motel 6 with decent rates and recently renovated rooms (hey, it’s still a Motel 6 though) and a number of restaurants nearby. After dinner I dug out the map and looked to see where I wanted to go the next morning: run down US 97 into California and Mt Shasta; head north and west toward Crater Lake; or just head west until I reached Gold Beach on the Oregon Coast.